/IWEDjf11 by CWR

Inspiring Women

JAN/FEB 2011

Every Day

january

Psalm 22 – Honest to God

Wendy Bray february

Facing our fears Fiona Veitch Smith Plus … Special Article, Ministry Report and CWR Events Page

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Wendy Bray Wendy Bray is an author, life coach, speaker and communications consultant. Her first book In the Palm of God’s Hand – an honest but humorous diary account of living with cancer – won the biography prize in the Christian Book Awards 2002. Wendy divides her time between writing, speaking at conferences and coaching and encouraging others to ‘go with their gifts’. Having completed a course of training, Wendy also offers individual accompaniment for the faith journey through Spiritual Direction or ‘soul friendship’. Married to Richard, with two young adult (already?) children, Wendy lives in Devon, where she enjoys, reading, walking and the Arts, and is a member of Emmanuel Church, Mannamead.

Fiona Veitch Smith Fiona Veitch Smith is a writer, editor and university lecturer living in Newcastle upon Tyne. She was born in Northumberland but grew up in South Africa where she became a Christian at the age of 11. Soon after getting married, she and her husband Rodney worked with Youth With A Mission in Cape Town where they ran a Christian performing arts company and helped lead short-term outreach teams into Southern Africa. After leaving YWAM she worked as a journalist for both the Christian and secular media. Now that she’s back in the UK, Fiona works part time and looks after her five-year-old daughter. She and her family are active members of Heaton Baptist Church.

Copyright © CWR 2010. Published by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP, UK. Tel: 01252 784700 Email: mail@cwr.org.uk Registered Charity No. 294387. Registered Limited Company No. 1990308. Front cover image: Getty Images/istock Exclusive/Sandy Jones. Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR. Printed in England by Linney Print. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from the Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV), copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Other Scripture quotations are marked: NLT: Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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Jan 1/2

weekend Psalm 22 – Honest to God

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For reflection: Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky ... and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years ...’ (Genesis 1:14)

hese beautiful words from Genesis remind us that God not only marks the beginning of this new year, but that He is the Author of time itself. Over the next four weeks we will be exploring Psalm 22. Its themes are timeless: doubt, fear, a sense of abandonment – yet finding faith in the midst of each of these emotions. However excited or optimistic we may be about the year ahead, days when we feel as if we are grasping for faith in the dark will inevitably come to all of us. So, whether we are fearful, raring to go or just slightly apprehensive about 2011, the well-known words of Minnie Louise Haskins may help: ‘And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” ‘And he replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!”’ When we can’t see clearly what lies ahead, it’s easy to fear. But with our hand in the hand of God we know that the way ahead is well marked by Him and that He already knows every step of the way. Optional further reading Hebrews 11:8–10; Isaiah 58:11; Psalm 48:14 James Jones, People of the Blessing (Abingdon: BRF, 1998)

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Mon Jan 3

A note on the author

efore we begin to explore Psalm 22 in detail, we may need to remind ourselves of something about David, the author, which ‘Then the L ord said, “Rise and commends the humanity of this psalm to us. anoint him; he is The words in our focus verse today are spoken by the one.”’ (v.12) God, through Samuel, just before Samuel anoints David as king. David was an unlikely choice, a ruddy faced shepherd (v.12) and a young boy (v.11). Yet he was God’s choice, so Samuel anointed him. But the fact that God says that David is a man after His own heart and that ‘he will do everything I want him to do’ (Acts 13:22) does not mean that David didn’t do an awful lot of what God didn’t want him to do! David’s life story shows that he was a flawed character. But he was always, eventually, honest about his weaknesses before God. It was as if he felt compelled to be so. For prayer and David’s relationship with God was, ultimately, the most reflection important thing in his life, over and above his riches, power and earthly privilege. God saw the man beneath all that: he saw David’s heart. Loving Lord God, David was, like us, a uniquely gifted but uniquely reading David’s flawed human being– but God loved him. That’s why words I am Psalm 22 speaks so deeply into, and from, our own aware of my own flawed humanity. experience. Like David we are unique, human, chosen by God, very much loved by Him, and all of us will, Sometimes I try at some point, go through doubt, struggle, fear and to hide it from bewilderment as expressed by David in this psalm. You: but I know As we explore this psalm verse by verse let’s allow You see my heart. David’s raw and honest words to speak to us about As I seek Your what it is to be very human before the God who loves us face, teach me to so much. be truly honest 1 Samuel 16:1–13

before You.

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1/9/10 10:23:49

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f you can, read the whole of this psalm today to give yourself a glimpse of the bigger picture. Alternatively, read the first five verses which encapsulate the heart of its message. Psalm 22 is a psalm written from a dark and dangerous place. The writers of The NIV Study Bible (p.788) call it ‘the anguished prayer of David as a godly sufferer’. It has it all: fear, attack, humiliation, pain, thirst, dicing with enemies and desperate darkness. But it goes deeper still in alluding to the problem of human suffering and the apparent silence of God in response. It is the psalm which most closely mirrors what St John of the Cross called the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’: that place where however much we seek God He cannot be found. We are left seemingly abandoned, alone and without help, crying out to Him from the depths of our hearts and waiting, longing, for an answer. It is also the psalm which most closely mirrors the experience of Jesus on the cross, which is why He used its words to express His own sense of desolation and isolation (Matt. 27:46). But what is interesting about Psalm 22 is that it pivots on two very small words which (excluding verse 6) are of very great faith: ‘Yet’ and ‘But’ (vv.3,9,19). David begins the psalm in the depths of despair (his ‘but’ of verse 6 shows just how low he had become), but by the end he is in the heights of praise. His circumstances don’t change, but his faith does. Over the next few weeks, we will be examining, almost verse by verse, exactly how David moved from one place to another and considering what this psalm might mean for us practically when we find ourselves in the very darkest of places.

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Tues Jan 4 Psalm 22:1–5 ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far … from the words of my groaning?’ (v.1)

For prayer and reflection What is your instinctive response to what you have read in Psalm 22? Bring that response prayerfully before God and ask Him to speak to you through this psalm over the next few weeks.

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Wed Jan 5

The timeless complaint

oday we return to verse 1 of Psalm 22, and the words used by Jesus on the cross (Matt. 27:46 and other Gospel parallels), as we begin our reflections on this harrowing but hopeful psalm. ‘How long, O L ord? Will you Many of us will have used these words or their forget me for ever? contemporary equivalents: ‘Where are You?’ ‘Are You How long will you listening?’; ‘What on earth do You think You’re doing hide your face God?!’ Yet, so often we are ashamed to admit that we from me?’ do. Why? We’re in good company here! Our asking of (Psa. 13:1) these questions reflects the fact that we have faith in the One we are addressing – albeit in desperation. When David shouts at the apparently empty heavens, ‘My God, my God, why ... ?’ he still uses the words ‘my God’. This is not a cry of disobedience or rebellion; it is a cry of faith! Searing, raw, honest faith: human faith. We mentioned, on Monday, that whatever else David was – gifted leader, husband, shepherd, soldier – he was For prayer and first and foremost very human: flawed, weak, arrogant and reflection often rebellious. But he was a ‘man after God’s own heart.’ And God loved to hear from the depths of that heart. What God wants from us more than anything is ‘My God, my authentic, honest relationship. Our cries from the heart God!’ Help me can initiate that kind of relationship and bring us to a recognise that new place of faith. It may not be comfortable faith and when I call those it will certainly be unpredictable faith, but it will be real. words to You, in desperation, fear David’s cry has echoed down through the or sadness, they generations of Christian believers. This desperation and are honest words darkness is nothing new; we are not alone in it. ‘Why?’ – words from the (v.1) is the timeless question; the timeless complaint. heart – and You Psalm 22 does not seek to answer that question, but it want to hear them. does begin to give it meaning. Psalm 22:1; Psalm 13

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CWR Ministry Events Please pray for the team Date

Event

Place

Presenter(s)

14 Jan

BA (Hons) Counselling, Year 1 starts

WAH

CWR Counselling Training Team

15 Jan

Counselling Training Enquirers’ Open Morning

WAH

CWR Counselling Training Team

17 Jan

BA (Hons) Counselling, Year 3 starts WAH

CWR Counselling Training Team

26 Jan

Church Leaders’ Forum

WAH

Andy Peck & Philip Greenslade

4 Feb

Insight into Sexual Abuse

WAH

Heather Churchill

5 Feb

The Bible in a Day

WAH

Andy Peck

8 Feb

Mentoring Others

WAH

Andy Peck

14–18 Feb Introduction to Biblical Counselling WAH

Angie Coombes, Richard Laws and team

21 Feb

WAH

Derek Holbird

WAH

Lynn Penson

Building Kingdom Values into the Classroom – Day for Teachers

22–23 Feb Bread for Life

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t For full details phone 01252 784700, international +44 (0)1252 784700 or see the CWR website for further information www.cwr.org.uk

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Thurs Jan 6

The silence of God

avid has called out to God – and there is no answer. He calls out day and night – and still there is nothing. Our natural tendency is not to welcome God’s ‘O my God, I cry out by day, but you silence. When we long for an answer, His silence does do not answer, by not calm us like the silence of contemplation or the night, and am not peace of a summer afternoon. It does not inform us silent.’ (Psa. 22:2) gently of His presence or ask us to wait, breath bated, for the God who is on His way if only we will wait in quiet anticipation. Instead, such a silence seems to howl at us. It taunts us with its length and depth until we begin to lose all hope of ever hearing God. Even the breath of God or the distant footsteps of God would be enough for us at such moments. But no: there is nothing. What are we to make of such times? Has God deserted us? Have we done something wrong? Will He ever ‘speak’ to us again? If we know that we are living in a way that honours God and that we are earnestly seeking Him, it may be that God is asking us to view the silence – hear the silence – in a new and different way. Often He asks that we wait, not for something For prayer and reflection to happen, or for an answer. But just to wait. In that waiting there is trust and in that trust there will be a deepening of relationship. And, eventually, in that Lord God, I know silence there will be God. You hear my cries. Although No, it’s not easy: I know. Recently, over a long, dark it’s tough, help and painful year – and for no apparent reason – God me to understand seemed silent and disinterested in me. Eventually, He that sometimes used that silence and struggle to reveal new things Your silence is the about Himself which have matured my relationship with most intimate and Him forever, in ways I would never have imagined. loving of answers. However frustrating it feels, silence may be a privilege. Psalm 22:2; Psalm 28:1–2

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1/9/10 10:23:52

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Tues Feb 1

Facing fears

e all have fears to varying degrees. Some fear is good and God-designed. We don’t go too near a flame because we might get ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was burnt. We rightly fear that we might fall through the ice afraid because I if we step onto a frozen lake. These fears are external was naked; so I and objective and can protect our life. Yet there are hid.’ (v.10) other fears that bring us death; if not literally, then spiritually and emotionally. I used to have a recurring dream of a sinister presence following me. But every time I tried to see its face it would disappear. After a few years of this I asked God to help me. Then one night, in my dream, I summoned up enough courage to corner the creature. And this time, when it turned around, I saw its face: it was mine. Most of our fears are internal, lurking in the dark corners of our heart, mind and soul. Satan can exploit these, for sure, but the source is largely internal, not external. Fear and sin are closely related. Sin is a wilful For prayer and disobedience of God. Fear, you may argue, is not wilful. reflection But giving in to it is. When Adam and Eve sinned the first thing they did was to hide from God out of fear – wilfully. Instead of telling Him what they had done they hid, Which parts of saying that they were ‘afraid’. What were they afraid of? yourself are you Partly, their nakedness. This is symbolic of their true too frightened to selves being revealed. When I finally faced the shadowy look at? Tell God presence in my dreams, I discovered that what I had about them now. been afraid of was myself. To look on our true selves is Don’t hide like a frightening thing. But unless we do we cannot bring all Adam and Eve. The Father is in the that we are, for good or ill, into a relationship with God. It is only when every part of us is open to His presence garden, calling out to you. that we can be truly healed and restored. Genesis 3:1–19

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Perfect love drives out fear

y family and I are, as I write, on holiday near Dunbar, Scotland. My five-year-old daughter found a mousetrap yesterday while she was busy exploring our cottage. She asked what it was and we said it was just there to scare the mice away. But I knew the truth. I don’t know what horrified me more: the thought of finding a dead mouse, or a live one! Fortunately Megan’s experience of mice has so far been positive. She held one in her hand on a school trip and fed it. So for her, mice hold no fear. And that’s as it should be. On a business trip, I once stayed alone in an old, rundown London hotel. Before I had even dropped off to sleep in my third-floor room, I had a furry visitor. I leapt out of bed and jumped up and down as hard as I could until the mouse scuttled away. I repeated this process on and off for the next three hours. Finally, exhausted, I took my duvet and wandered down the hall looking for an empty room. I finally found one, climbed into the unmade bed and promptly fell asleep. The next morning at breakfast I heard a man complaining to his companion that he’d hardly slept a wink because some idiot upstairs kept jumping up and down every ten minutes. Oh dear! There are better ways to drive out fear. Today’s reading tells us that perfect love does the job – perfectly. God is that love so Christians should not be beset by fear. With His Spirit in us, filling up every corner of our being, there should be no room for fear in our hearts and minds. I read that scripture last night before I went to bed. I felt His love drive out the fear as I drifted off to sleep. But yes, I still checked the mousetrap in the morning!

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Wed Feb 2 1 John 4:7–21 ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear …’ (v.18)

For prayer and reflection Father, I bring to You today all my fears: the silly ones, like a fear of mice, and the not so silly ones. I want to be free; I want to be made perfect in Your love.

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Thurs Feb 3

The fear of the Lord or man

f there’s one thing we need to be prepared to lose in this life it’s our reputation. It’s not a bad thing to want to be known for doing good rather than ill, but when your sense of self-worth depends on what ‘… you who know what is right … other people think you’re in danger of living under the who have my law fear of man. The problem is, as the prophet Samuel in your hearts: tells us, man looks on the outside but God looks on the Do not fear the heart. What might appear to be good might not be from reproach of God’s perspective and, of course, the other way round. men …’ (v.7) Just consider the vastly misunderstood life of Jesus and the fact that He had a questionable reputation in the eyes of the socially respectable. In the Christian walk God might ask us to do something that could so easily be misunderstood by other people. My church is currently going through a very active phase – reaching out into the community; expanding its mission programme and consciously training and discipling its members while supporting For prayer and everything with prayer and a lifestyle of worship. Amen! reflection ‘But … what’s that, God? You’re calling me to a time of rest? You want me to withdraw for a while and not get involved in any more church activities? Oh boy, how In what areas am I going to get away with that one without people do you fear man thinking I’m lazy or not “on fire” enough for You?’ rather than God? That’s exactly what I thought recently and I had Do you worry about what people to repent when I realised that I was more in fear of think of you? Will man than of God. I need to be prepared to lose my you lose your reputation. I haven’t gone to the front of the church to reputation for announce the reasons for my non-involvement and I God’s sake? Ask know (or at least think) that people are looking at me the Lord to free ‘funny’ … But I know too that I must do what I know is you now. right and not let this self-centred, prideful fear rule me. Isaiah 51:1–8

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1/9/10 10:24:13

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Fear of the evil one

believe in the existence of Satan. I do not believe, as the author Philip Pullman suggests in his controversial trilogy His Dark Materials, that God is really evil and Satan really good. But I do believe that Christians often have the wrong ideas about God and the devil. ‘Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith …’ (1 Pet. 5:8–9). Some of us spend so much time focusing on the works of the devil that we forget to see the work of God. We are motivated by the fear of evil rather than the love of a good God. This can be taken to extremes such as the very sad case of the little girl who was starved to death by her mother and step-father because they wanted to ‘starve the devil out of her’. Most of us, thankfully, are not so deceived. However, we still tend to give the devil more than he’s due, blaming him for every little thing that goes wrong in our lives. The result of this is an absolution of personal responsibility: ‘The devil made me’ or ‘Those aren’t my thoughts’, we say. Certainly the devil is pleased that you are acting and thinking this way and will use it to his own advantage, but sometimes we blame him when we should be blaming ourselves. That’s when spiritual warfare should give way to plain old-fashioned repentance. The fear of being helpless in the face of the devil’s schemes to influence, control and possess you is a result of superstition, not faith. The only power the devil has in your life is that which you give him. Submit yourself to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7, my emphasis).

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Fri Feb 4 Psalm 23 ‘ … I will fear no evil … your rod and your staff they comfort me.’ (v.4)

For prayer and reflection Father, thank You that You sent Jesus to defeat the devil’s works and that even though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death we have no reason to fear any evil.

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Feb 5/6

weekend Making a fear inventory

For reflection: Romans 12:1–3 ‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind.’ (v.2)

his week we have started looking at the fears that control us. Now it’s time to take action. I hope the readings have encouraged you to believe that God can and will free you from your fears. Make a list of them now. Prayerfully commit this ‘fear inventory’ to God and ask Him to free you from them and renew your mind. Many of these fears will be deeply ingrained in your life. Some may require emotional healing; others repentance. For some of them it may help to talk with a trusted friend or spiritual leader. Freedom from fear may not happen overnight, but if you don’t start now, when will you? Whenever my daughter says she’s afraid I ask her to imagine that her mind is a toy box filled with scary toys. I then ask her how she can get rid of them. The first time I asked her this she was only four and she said: ‘I must take the bad toys out and put some good toys in.’ It’s time to put some good toys in. Optional further reading Philippians 4:2–20; Colossians 3:1–17 Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2008)

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Introduc